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LA’s bungalow courts are becoming extinct. In recent years we’ve seen a number of them demolished by developers. Even the Norton Court, which was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, was torn down by real estate investors who valued cash over culture.

Now another bungalow court complex is threatened, but you can act to save it. The apartments at 3649-3657 Regal Place are slated for demolition, but community members believe the City should designate these units as a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM). Just above Cahuenga Blvd. near the foot of the Hollywood Hills, the first of these apartments were built in 1928. They stand directly across from Universal Studios, and according to film historian Joseph McBride, Steven Spielberg was living in one of these units when he became the youngest director ever to sign a multi-picture deal with a major studio. McBride also says that Bobby Darin was a former resident. Records from the County Assessor’s Office show that actress Yvette Mimieux owned the property in 1970. The Cahuenga Pass Property Owners Association (CPPOA) strongly supports the HCM nomination. In their letter to the Cultural Heritage Commission, the CPPOA states that they believe the complex is the last bungalow court remaining in the Cahuenga Pass.

One of the units at Regal Place.

Stairs leading to the top of the complex.

The complex is filled with trees and shrubs.

Looking down from the highest point in the complex.

Visiting these apartments, it’s easy to understand why bungalow courts were so popular in Hollywood’s heyday. This cluster of small units gathered around a central green space, shaded by tall trees, creates an intimate, peaceful space for tenants. You’d never guess that the Hollywood Freeway was just a few hundred feet away. It’s worth mentioning that the developer also plans to cut down five of the seven protected oaks on the property. While replacement trees will be planted, it would take decades before they could reproduce the shady canopy that currently shelters these units.